SundayZip

@KevinKeepsItReal, I'm sorry that people criticized your initial post. When I have face-to-face interactions with people, I typically ask about them before reciting stuff about myself. It seems that here, some expect you to post about yourself before asking about others (not sure I agree with that). But whatever, I appreciate the question and here are my top reasons for hiring: I want to have sex with men who would not otherwise have sex with me. I can let go sexually in a way that I would not with a man I casually date. I can let go of my insecurities about meeting expectations regarding sexual performance.

I learned, "Bless me, Father, for I have sinned" although now I might prefer, "Bless me, Daddy, for I have sinned." 🙂

Ha! We were discussing how staff managing admission could distinguish between worshippers and tourists. We decided they should make everyone wanting to enter do the sign of the cross (quickly) and recite the first sentence of the standard confession ritual. Those who falter would be deemed a tourist. People like me (although no longer a practicing catholic) could do it my sleep.

I attended Sunday morning mass at Notre Dame a couple months ago. Although there was a long line of tourist waiting to get it, we (two of us) went to the front and said we were there to attend mass. They let us in right away; no ticket, no fee. Having been raised Catholic, I enjoy experiencing the familiar ritual of mass in other cultures and languages.

Interesting piece in the NY Times today. According to the article, Edward Yardeni, independent Wall Street economist and strategist, "... estimated a range of 'subjective probabilities' for the stock market. There is a 60 percent chance that the bull market will continue, a 25 percent chance of a bear market caused by a recession, and a 15 percent chance of a melt-up." This is my first encounter with the term, melt-up. Investopedia: Melt-Up

Breaking the Deadlock Phenomenal 1 hour production on PBS, the second in a series. Every high school student in the US and everyone who votes solely on soundbites and social media propaganda should watch this after a short (15 minute) primer on the US constitution. I first watched this on TV then found it on youtube to share and watch again. I won't go into details on this post and risk a reprimand for posting about politics. Watch and decide for yourself.

The problem with this strategy is you need take money of the stock market when "you think" it's at a peak and about to decline. But if the decline doesn't come and instead, the market continues to grow, you lose out on the growth.

My little experiment helps confirm that adage "time in the market beats timing the market". If I would have just left the money in the stock market when I started the experiment, the value would have grown by 12%. Instead, I got a modest 3.8% by holding the money outside the market in anticipation of buying low and then selling high.

I was looking at the stock market a couple weeks ago when it became apparent that we're going to see a lot of market volatility due to <what can't be spoken here>. I decided to see what sort of investment growth someone can get from this volatility so I created a limit order in my brokerage account to automatically purchase a small number of shares of Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund ETF (VTI) if the price dipped below $260. A couple days later it did and I immediately created another limit to sell if the price hits $270. It did today. That's a gain of 3.8% in less than 10 days. I now have another limit order in place to buy again if/when it drops back down to $260. If/when it does, I'll buy and repeat. It will be interesting to see how this goes.

I was blown away by this series: A really terrific screen play with amazing acting and directing.

I saw it with a couple friends who insisted on going. I sat through most of the movie thinking; Oh My God, why the F*** am I sitting here watching this trite bubblegum fluff? It was all cutesy special affects with songs and performances perfect for a teenage girl into pink valentines and roses. I was hating it. That said, I did enjoy the last scene and Cynthia Erivo's terrific performance of Defying Gravity -- but not enough to recommend the movie to anyone over the age of twelve.

Wearing a suit on vacation? Not if I can help it. I keep a few ties, a blazer, and a sport coat for weddings and funerals, but that's it for me.

It was my goal, a few years back, to travel with just a carry-on. But now I almost always check my bag, even if it's carry-on size. I tend to get to the airport early to avoid the stress of not knowing how long lines will be, etc. I check my bag, get through the lines then move about with nothing but my carry-on backpack. Getting some exercise doing a brisk walk around the airport is preferable to sitting at the gate or in a lounge (for me, anyway).

I think this a thread where I can finally post one of my pet peeves about air travel. It's how people crowd the baggage carousel. Everyone stands extremely close to the carousel making it difficult to see if your bag on the carousel coming your way. It's the stupidest thing ever. But when everyone does it, you have no choice but do it yourself. Or, if you stand back and try to watch through gaps in the crowd, you have to squeeze through people to retrieve your bag. I was recently at an airport that had created a no-stand zone around the perimeter of the baggage carousel. Yes! I hope this catches on at other airports.

Quite honestly, BenjaminNicholas, if I were to hire a travel companion, I think it would be you. You're no longer 21 (I believe 🙂) which I view as positive. I also believe you're worldly enough to be wonderful company and have the "travel intellect" to ease the stressful parts of traveling. Please do not tempt the susceptible!